


Life Starts Now

by TheRedLotusFlower88



Category: Night In The Woods (Video Game)
Genre: Aftermath, Alcohol, Emotionally Unstabled Mae, Established Relationship, Eventual MaeBea, F/F, Gay, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Lesbian, M/M, Mae's dealing with self-esteem issues, Mentions of Mental Illness, Post-Canon, Psychological, Slow burn Mae/Bea, This fandom is my new addiction, mentions of sexual conduct, will add more tags as i go on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-13 15:54:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10516968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRedLotusFlower88/pseuds/TheRedLotusFlower88
Summary: Post Canon, set a little after Bea's ending. After everything that happened, life goes on. Gregg and Angus continues their plan on leaving Possum Springs, Bea is seriously considering Mae's offer, and Mae? Mae's trying to forget everything.





	1. Chapter 1

Everything's a blur.

At least, that's what it feels like, according Mae Borowski. It's barely been a month since she and her friends found out about the Dad Cult, and everything is going back to the way it was; as if the Dad Cult never existed, as if she never talked to God in her dreams. She knows it's real though, because she still has scars to prove it, and an itch in the back of her mind that she can't scratch. Yet, none of her friends mentions the Cult, and she doesn't speak to God anymore. Or God doesn't speak to her, I don't know. Whatever. All she knows is that within a month, everything is back to the way it was, and she thinks she's okay with that.

Maybe.

I don't know.

She should be fine, but she's not. Something...is swelling up inside her, eating at her, but she doesn't have a clue what it is. It's different from before, from all the other times in which she space out, clearly not right in the mind. She's all too aware of this feeling, this knot, and quite frankly, she's scared. It wasn't the urge she always gets when she wants to break something, and even though she still sees shapes, that's not what this was - this feeling. This feeling was different, and not in the good way. It keeps reminding her of the Cult, of God, and everything she's trying to forget. Closing her eyes, Mae sighed.

"Okay," She whispered. "Okay. Deep breaths, Borowski. Remember what Mr. Hank said. If I work myself up like this, I may cause myself a panic attack. Or something," Pausing, Mae let the corner of her lips curve upwards. "Heh. Wouldn't that be a sight? Me, Mae Borowski, the kid who never panics or thinks about the consequences of her actions, suddenly gets a panic attack. I bet most of my class could see me now, they'll most likely be shock themselves. Or laughing. Heh." Mae stared into the mirror, glaring at her reflection. "I suck. Badly."

"Mae, honey? You awake?" Called out her mom, startling her from her...conversation....with herself.

"Uh, yeah, mom! I'm up!"

"Well, your friends are here to visit you! It'll be impolite to keep them waiting!"

"Okay, be down in a minute!" Mae called out, rushing to put on some (clean) pants, as she had been standing front of the mirror in her underwear, and then rushed downstairs to greet her friends. Spotting them near the door, Mae cocked her head. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Dude, two words: Par-tay! Angus and I have a week off, and there's this underground thing that's going on that I would really like to go!" Gregg said, waving his arms in the air.

"Okay, first of, that's only one word. Second, underground thing? What's this and why haven't I heard about it?" Mae asked.

"You know, near the old train tracks where you use to live near by? Apparently, someone found an underground tunnel there, and _apparently,_ they thought it was a good idea to throw a party there." Bea said, rolling her eyes at the idea.

"Why would there be an underground tunnel there?" Mae asked.

"Who knows. Why would there be a cult trying to murder kids?" Bae asked. Silence fell upon the group, Gregg frowning, Angus shifting his glasses, and Mae was looking at the ground as though Bae had punched her, ears slightly fallen down. "...Sorry."

"No, it's...fine, I suppose," Mae cleared her throat and smiled at her friends. "So, a party, then?"

"Yeah! We can invite Jeremy to come with us! We never actually hang out much with him." Gregg said. Mae smiled.

"That's true. Hey, isn't Bea's car a four seat? Where's Jerm going to sit?" She asked, looking at the crocodile. Bea huffed, puffing out smoke from her cigarette.

"There's enough room, Mae. He can sit in the middle of the backseat."

"Yeah, and even if she didn't, I could always take my bike." Gregg said. At the mention of the bike, Angus scuffled his feet nervously, playing with his glasses. Seeing this, Gregg just smirked. "Don't worry babe, you can ride with Bea if you're that scared."

"Angus is scared of Gregg's bike?" Mae asked in wonder. This was something she'd never learned.

"Terrified. He never lets go of me when we ride it," Gregg grinned cheekily. "Not that I mind."

"Can we please get off this subject?" Angus asked, blushing as he glared at his boyfriend.

"Right. Party! Whoo!" Mae shouted, throwing her hands in the air. Gregg shared the same sentiment, and began wiggling his arms too.

"Whoo! Party!"

"Whoo!"

"Whoo!" The two looked over at their friends/boyfriend. Bea groaned while Angus gave them a small, shy-ish, smile.

"Whoo." Bea stated, flatly. Then they turned to Angus, waiting patiently for him to comment. The bear just blinked, giving them another smile. Bea rolled her eyes, while Gregg squeaked and kissed his boyfriend, and Mae-

"Close enough!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Thanks for inviting me to the party. I typically don't like these sort of things." Jeremy said. He himself was sitting in between Angus and Gregg, while Mae and Bea were sitting in front of the car, with Bea driving of course.

"No problem dude! We figured you'd want to come every once in a while." Mae said.

"If you don't like parties, why'd you come anyway? Out of curiosity." Bea asked, looking into her review mirror straight at Jeremy.

"Oh, well. You guys were going, and none of my buddies were around, so I thought I might as well." Jeremy said, twiddling with his fingers.

"Hmm." Bea said, going back to the road.

"Dude, just make sure you don't drink as much like you did the last time." Gregg said, looking directly at Mae, whom rolled her eyes and groaned.

"My god, you aren't going to let that go, are you? I said I was sorry! I didn't mean to make Cole uncomfortable. Or anyone, for that matter." She said.

"Well, you did, and Angus and I are going to keep an eye on you, just in case." Gregg stated, giving Mae a frown.

"You mean, _I'm_ going to keep an eye on her. Since I'll be the one driving from the party?" Bea said.

"What does that have anything to do with anything?" Mae asked. Bea thought about telling her that in case Gregg starts drinking as well, at least he has someone that was more responsible than himself, or Mae, for that matter. Instead, however, she just closed her mouth and shook her head, staring back at the road. Mae was looking at her, though, and squinted her eyes. "Bea? Is something wrong?"

"...What?" Bea asked. Mae shrugged.

"I don't know, it seems like you have a lot on your mind."

"And since when did you start caring about that?" Bea snapped, and Mae's eyes went wide.

"Dude..."

"Dude..." Gregg said, looking at Bea as well. Bea sighed.

"Sorry, sorry. Just don't want to talk about it right now. Party? Drinking? Having a good time? Remember that?" Bea said. Reluctantly, neither teens pried further, with Gregg already forgotten and has excitedly waved his arms in the air, while Mae kept her thoughts to herself. Lately, she began to notice her friends in a whole new angle; one that allows her to see everything that hasn't been said, or at least, in her case, _has_ been said, but often went ignored because Mae....well...she had her own problems to deal with.

 _Also because I'm a terrible friend,_ she thought bitterly, scowling at bit at herself. She's not going to make excuses; she was never well-aware of the problems Bea had faced, and is still facing when they hung out together. She often open her mouth at seemly the wrong times, and that had only served to piss Bea off more than once. When she got back from college, she had been hoping everything was okay, and remained the same. She had hoped she could still act the way she wanted, and could get away with it. She never thought in the span of time she went to college, everything in Possum Springs were going to change. Never planned for that to happen. But Bea had said it best.

 _"You went to college, and stayed the same, while I was stuck here, and grew up."_  

That was the fact Mae couldn't deny, even if she wanted to. Her friends, while stuck in a small, going nowhere town, _grew up_ and she didn't. Even in college, even with her panic attacks and disorienting reality, not seeing familiar faces, she didn't change. And in knowing that, now, after everything, it kind of sucks to be that one friend in the group that kind of rely on everyone else while ignoring the bigger issue, or at least in Mae's case, never knowing. She doesn't really know whose fault that was, either.

_Easy, it's yours. You could've asked her what was going on. You could've not hang out with Gregg as often as you did, and make Angus feel less significant, or encourage Gregg to do crimes. You should've known Bea was looking for a relationship during that one time in Jackie's party, though all of it was a lie. You should've been a better friend, and at least pretend to care about them, but you didn't. God, Mae, you're the worst._

"Mae?"

Mae blinked, and looked up to see her friends hopping out of the car. "We're here."

"Oh," Mae said, before taking off her seatbelt, opening the door, and hopped out. "Whoo! Party!"

The others looked at her, concern written on their faces.

"...Are you alright? You look as though you're hiding something." Bea asked, cocking her head.

"I've got nothing to hide! I'm clean! And this party is going to be awesome!" Mae said, a large smile on her face while throwing her hands in the air. Angus looked unsure, while Bea continued to look at her, Gregg was smiling, and Jeremy was already looking for the tunnel.

"I know dude! I'm so excited!" Gregg said.

"Just make sure you don't drink too much, Bug. You too, Mae." Angus said. Mae scoffed and began heading towards the tunnel - wherever it might be.

"Don't worry Angus, Bea got me." 

Bea huffed out a smoke.

"Right. And the tunnel's the opposite way."

"...I knew that!" Mae said, turning around and walking in the other direction, behind her friends.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't get Manly's voice out of my mind for Jeremy, OR Kravin's for Gregg. Because of this, they are now my headcanon voices for both of these characters.


	3. Chapter 3

This party blows, Mae thinks, watching as the few kids left in this town began jamming out to some unnamed song Mae has never heard of in her life. She thinks songs like this one are the new 'hip hop' of the generation growing up after her, and she couldn't suppress the shiver down her spine.

 _I'm getting old._ She thinks, taking a sip of her fruit punch. That's right. Fruit punch. No alcohol, no beer (and she's thankful for that - she hates beer), no vodka. Not even spiked a little; just plain ol' fruit punch. She glares down at her cup, but she still drinks it. _This is the worst. Why did I come again?_ Mae glanced around the small area, having to spot Jeremy on the dancefloor, dancing with some punk-haired raccoon Mae didn't know, and merely raised a suspicion within herself. However, she decided to ignore it for now, and turned her attention to everyone else. She could see Angus and Gregg huddle into a corner, the fox on his lap, head on his stomach. They seem to be talking about something, and even if Mae was like a mile away, she knows Gregg is making some kind of noise of content, judging by how happy his eyes were. If Gregg had been a dog, his tail would've been wagging.

She smiled.

Mae couldn't help but feel proud of the two; despite everything that went down, both before and after the move to college, they were both still happily in love with each other. Seeing them now gave Mae flashbacks to when they were in high school, of Gregg always jumping onto Angus for a hug, always pressed close to Angus' side. Now that she mentioned it, the two were _always_ having contact with each other - a simple brush against the shoulder, or even a full out hug, make outs included. _I wonder who's more needy?_ She thought before shaking her head, sighing.

Now they were moving to Bright Harbor. Or at least, that's the plan, anyway.

"I'm gonna miss them." Mae muttered, taking a sip of her punch. _But, they won't miss you. With you gone, maybe their relationship will finally get better. No more having to share Gregg with Angus, no more crimes, and making Angus worry. Best of all, Angus doesn't have to worry about Gregg becoming a convict!_ Mae paused in her thoughts. _Okay, so, maybe Gregg doesn't need help with that. But the thing is, it'll be HIS fault, right? And not yours._ Mae scowled.

She doesn't like having these thoughts. They seemed too dark for her, and even if Gregg somehow ends up in jail, Mae would be right along aside him. Cause they were best friends, and that's what best friends do. _And then, you'll get the blame of always pulling Gregg down, disappointing Angus, and who knows. Maybe this behavior will cause them to break up! Maybe YOU'LL be the reason they break up! It'll be your fault they aren't speaking to each other, your fault when the fun times ends, your fault when Angus leaves Gregg._

"Get out of my fucking head already." She snapped, startling a person next to her. She didn't pay them any mind, already trying to focus on something else, something that _isn't_ Gregg or Angus. Swiftly, she looks over to the left of her, and spots Bea talking to someone. Somehow, this someone seems familiar, and when she squints her eyes, she realize it was Jackie. "What's she doing here?" She muttered and before she could stop herself, she finds herself walking towards them. She could instantly see when Jackie's face turned sour at her presence, and Bea only turned around to raise an eyebrow.

"Hey Mae. You enjoying yourself?" She asked. Mae scoffed.

"Of course! Between the sorry excuse for music, and the kiddie drinks, I'm having a blast!" She said, smiling sarcastically. Bea merely raised an eyebrow as Jackie narrowed her eyes at Mae.

"You know, not _everything_ has to be about drinking until you get alcohol poisoning." She said, folding her arms as Bea gave her a look.

"No, but that's usually what we do around here. Not...this..."

"You've never actually been to a normal party, have you? Is everything a joke to you?"

"Jackie..." Bea warned.

"I had a normal party...when I was like, ten! I just figured _someone_ would bring in the drinks for those who would like to get drunk!" Mae said, throwing her arms in the air. Jackie rolled her eyes.

"Newsflash: There are people who don't drink, especially minors. But you wouldn't know that because you've been drinking since you were in high school, right? Not everyone's like you Mae. Nobody here is seeking for thrills, or is feeling 'edgy' so they spiked the drinks. I think most of us has gotten over that." She said, glaring at Mae. "I keep telling Beatrice here that hanging out with you is a bad idea. You haven't changed at all."

"Shut the _fuck up_ right now, Jackie." Bea growled, glaring at her while Mae stared blankly at her. There was this look on Mae's face she couldn't decipher, and it kind of made Bea worried for a second.

"I'm...I'm going to explore the tunnels. See you in a bit, Bee, Jack- _ass_ ," Mae hissed, crunching up the cup in her hands and walking away. She ignored Bea calling out to her, having already gone deeper into the tunnel.

"God damn it, Jackie!"

"What? From everything you've told me, Mae Borowski was in need of a wake-up call. How can you sit there and say she's your friend when it's obvious she doesn't give a shit about you? Or anyone else?" Jackie said, glaring at Bea.

"You don't know her, Jackie. You don't even begin to understand..."

"Understand what? That Mae Boroskwi is a loudmouth, dangerous, punk with no future? Honestly, Bea, you're better off without her."

"And maybe I'm better off without  _you,_ " Bea hissed, startling Jackie. "You may have been my friend once upon time, Jackie, and yes I have always complained to you about Mae and her behavior, but it's like I said: _You don't understand Mae._ And, so long as you keep thinking about her negatively, I can't ever see us being friends."

"I'm only looking after you, Bea. You're a smart girl, and you had it rough. You don't need Mae barging into your life making it more shit."

"Right now, the only person making my life shit is you," Jackie had the gall to look offended. "I told you before; a lot of shit has happened to us, not just me and Mae, but also Gregg and Angus, over within the last month and none of it was Mae's fault. But of course you didn't listen to that, like always when I talk about Mae. I don't think I have ever heard you say one nice thing about Mae. Or Gregg, for that matter."

"I've tried okay! I've tried to play nice with Mae, but Bea, it's really fucking hard."

"And I _get_ that. I've known Mae a lot longer than you, and sure, there are things Mae has said or done that makes me want to punch her in the mouth - but I've finally understood why, and I'm learning to accept that. I'm learning that, despite what you think, Mae _is_ a good person." Bea said. Jackie bit her lip. "Now, I'm going to make sure the idiot doesn't get herself lost or hurt down there while you...I don't know. Do whatever the hell you want."

And with that, Bea chased after her friend.


	4. Chapter 4

"Mae? Mae, where are you?" Bea called out, going deeper into the tunnel. She frowned. Surely, Mae couldn't have gone far, nor was she stupid enough to travel deep into the tunnel where, if she got into trouble, nobody would've known or heard her call out. "Mae?"

"Over here." A voice called out to her left. Turning around, she spotted the teen sitting on a rock, her left ear twitching every now and then, both hands on her face, back towards her. Bea slowly walked up to her, trying to gather her thoughts. She could, quite abruptly, ask what was going through her mind after that fallout with Jackie, but honestly, Bea's _tired_ of her somewhat hostile attitude to her friends. After everything, it seems like Mae's not the only one who has to work to rekindle their relationship.

"Sooo...I'm not going to ask how you feel, because you and I both know that Jackie was an asshole for saying what she said."

"Doesn't mean she wasn't right." Mae said, and Bea's eyes widen in surprise, and she nearly dropped her cig.

"What?"

Mae didn't respond to that, at least, not with her words. If anything, Mae just curled herself in even more. Bea was about to demand Mae to explain herself, when Mae already did it for her. "I mean, Bea, every since I got back from college, there's been this awkwardness around the people I know. You, Gregg, Angus, my parents...it just seems like you guys were surprise to see me. As if you _expected_ me to stay there."

"Mae..."

"And I don't blame you guys. I thought I was going to, too. I thought I was going to have fun, learn some stuff, make new friends, you know, college stuff! But," Mae took a deep breath, and Bea could tell she was shaking. "But, the moment I hit campus, I just...froze. And suddenly, I'm not seeing people - I'm seeing shapes." A whimper broke through her lips, and Mae could feel tears swell up in her eyes. "I just...couldn't. Nothing was the same, nothing was familiar. It felt like I couldn't breathe, and I keep seeing these weirdly colored shapes, and they were speaking in some language I couldn't understand. I thought I was safe in my dorm, but I wasn't. I was still scared, could still hear the voices of the shapes, and felt the need to break everything. Because they wouldn't shut up. So, I decided to come back home, where it's safe," Mae let out a bitter chuckle. "But even _that_ didn't help. I came back home, and _everything_ is changing. You, Gregg, Angus... _everyone_ in this stinkin' town was just...not the same. Even when I am."

"..."

"I thought, if I could go back home, everything would return to normal. But it didn't. While I was busy in college, Gregg, Angus, and you were busy working your asses off to make ends meet. While I was stuck, trying to keep myself under control, Possum Springs was going through some changes, for the better or worse. While I was busy being me, I saw my friends grow up without me. All the arguments we got into, all the problems we'd faced up until now, all of it was because of me. Because I didn't change," At this point, Mae was hiccupping as her tears fell, and Bea was holding her while she cried. "In the end, you were right Bea. I went to college and didn't change, while you guys stayed here and _did._ How fucked up is that?!" Mae let out a wobbly laugh. "You guys deserve so much more better. I admire you guys, really. You guys were much better friends than I ever had been."

"Is that how you really feel?" Bea asked.

"How can I not? I've just been so shit, and careless about you and your life. I should've asked you what was going on. I should've said something to make you feel better. I shouldn't have bothered Gregg during the days he was working, I shouldn't have made Angus worried about his boyfriend, I should've check on Casey one more time. Had I done that, maybe he would've still been alive today. If I had, maybe that murder Dad Cult thing wouldn't have existed. I should've...I should've..." Mae choked. "God, Bea....I should've died down there."

"Okay, hold your horses. You _shouldn't_ be thinking that, Mae Borowski. _Nobody_ was going to let you die, you hear me?" Bea said, pulling Mae away just so she could look into her face. She could see some of her fur being matted thanks to the tears, and her already red eyes becoming redder. "Think of your parents. Do you know how devastated they'll be if their only child went missing or found out she's dead? I don't think I have the heart to tell Mrs. Borowski that her daughter died because of some weird ass old people who couldn't let go of the past, and instead continuously fed that _thing_ down there children. We've done that with Casey's parents."

"Yeah...I see your point. Mom would be pretty upset about that," Mae said, before frowning. "But that doesn't excuse everything else Jackie said. I...I ruined your life, Bea. Maybe Angus' too. Jackie was just looking after your wellbeing while I...what the fuck am I doing in your life?"

"Mae, you're my best friend, and as I've told you, you're like a sister to me. I doubt I could do anything or go anywhere without you by my side, whether I want it or not. Besides, you didn't ruin my life, fate did." Bea said.

"Huh?"

"Fate decided to kill my mother, leaving dad and I alone. Fate decided to make my dad a depressing prick by constantly wallowing up in self-pity ever since mom died, while refusing to hand over the Pickaxe to me, despite being very capable of running it myself. And it was fate that you and I became friends. So if there's anyone to blame for my misfortunes, it'll be fate. Nobody asked for my mother to die, it just happen. Nobody asked for my father to become who he is now, he just decided to do that. As for us being friends, well, someone had to make the first move." Bea said, shrugging her shoulders. "But, I'm managing well, so it's pretty much water under the bridge. I will never blame you for anything you didn't do, if you didn't have a hand in it."

"What about what happened at Jackie's party?"

"You mean, you exercising your rights to become the worst wingman ever?" Bea joked, but apparently, that was the wrong thing to say because Mae's ears fell flat, and there's a frown on her face, and she looked like she's about to cry again. "Trust me when I say it was probably for the best. Looking back, I don't think I could handle that guy with him having the lazy, laid-back attitude of his. They say opposite attracts, and sure, it works for some, take a look at Gregg and Angus, but not me. He would've drive me up the wall, even if I had lied to him."

"But, he was interested in you, I think. He looked like he genuinely likes you. And I fucked it up for you. Like always." Mae said, bitterly. Bea shook her head.

"Doesn't matter. I started out by lying to him, and I got to see what type of person he was. I should've known better." She said, before looking at Mae. "In any case, I'm going to be truthful Mae. Yes, some of the fights that happened were your fault, but not completely. Turns out, I'm a pretty shitty friend, too," Before Mae could protest, Bea already stopped her, shaking her head. "The fight we had when we had dinner...you were only trying to help, I get that, and maybe I should've been nicer to you because of that, but I was just so angry. Angry because you think it's easy for me to just up and walk away from all of this like you did. I wish I could. I wish I had the chance. But I couldn't. I had to run the store, be responsible, and look after my father. And it didn't seem like you get that. I was also angry because you had the chance, and you just...took it for granted. Had I knew then what I know now, I would've never guessed you were having problems adjusting, and then having problems that could've been seen by a doctor, and no, not Dr. Hank," Bea gave her a look, to which Mae shrugged at. "I had just assumed everything, because nothing about you had changed, and I was bitter and I let my personal feelings get in the way of our relationship. Maybe if we had opened up to each other a bit earlier, we would've known what the other was thinking, or feeling, at least."

Mae sniffled. "And what about Gregg and Angus? You can't tell me I didn't play a role in it."

"Not saying you didn't. Like I said, some of the fights that happened to you are your fault, but not all of it. I don't know much about what was happening between Gregg and Angus, but from the bits Angus has told me, it sounded like you and Gregg were off, doing stupid shit together." Bea said. Mae nodded her head.

"Yeah..."

"And Angus was worried of how that'll look for Gregg. Mae...the stuff you guys do...that's what _criminals_ do. You can, and most likely will, _go to jail_ for that. It doesn't matter that the Food Donkey is abandon, it's still breaking and entering private property, and yes, Mae, you _can_ get charged for that. Apparently carrying weapons of any kind is illegal too, so your knife fights can also get you charged, mostly for assault. Also, breaking those lightbulbs can get Gregg _fired_ from his job. Don't know why the idiot never thought of this, but apparently, this has been an issue with Gregg. Gregg, kind of like you, Mae, has an impulse to just do stuff, and it didn't matter if the consequences were severe or not. Angus is trying really hard with Gregg, and for a while, it seemed like all his helping was working, until-"

"Until I came back." Mae said, frowning. Bea flinched.

"...Yeah."

"So I _am_ a problem." Mae said.

"Don't beat yourself up for that, Mae. Gregg's partially at fault too. Angus has told him serval times that he shouldn't give in to his impulses, and on many occasions, he has, even before you showed up. One day, I decided to paint a picture for Gregg, since I've learnt about their moving to Bright Harbor. I told him, what would've happened if he got fired from the Shack. Of course, he says he can get another job, but what if the people in Possum knew about his behavior, and decided NOT to hire him? That would mean, in order to make their plan work, Angus would have to carry TWICE the load so long as Gregg is out of the job, and if he doesn't go searching for a new one, maybe even longer. Eventually, Angus isn't going to have time to deal with him anymore. Eventually, Angus is going to get tired. Eventually, their dream to move to Bright Harbor might be out of the question. This, of course, got him to sober up and, as far as I knew, worked twice as hard as Angus was."

"And then I came along and broke his streak! Because I'm a huge fuck up that only exist to destroy everyone's lives! Bea, you're not helping me at all!" Mae cried out, and Bea glared at her.

"It would, if you stop thinking so negatively about yourself. As I told you, I'm a shitty friend because I was blinded by my hate and jealously for you, Gregg doesn't have a care in the world so long as he can destroy stuff, never thinking about the people around him, and even Angus isn't a good friend either! You guys barely hang out with each other, and in the time you and Gregg were hanging out, he kept blaming you for corrupting his boyfriend! And I tell Angus every time we talk that he's gotta put his foot down, or else how will you know what he's thinking? 'Oh no, Bea, I can't do that! It'll hurt poor Gregg and Mae!' Screw that. I already told you how I felt about you being back, and still, here we are! Still friends, albeit rocky, having this dumbass conversation in a tunnel that goes god knows where, and I pretty much told Jackie to go screw herself in your honor! Despite everything that happened in that month, Mae, I still consider you one of my closest friends, and damn it all, if you keep having these self-esteem issues, I'm going to kick your ass!"

Silence. The two females looked at each other, one in disbelief and the other looking agitated.

"You...you told Jackie off for me?" Mae asked, looking all like a child in a candy store. Bea rolled her eyes.

"Of all things I'd said, you picked that one."

"Aww, Bee, you really do care!" Mae laughed, hugging the goth, who scoffed and rolled her eyes, but returned it.

"Tch. You're such a shithead, you know that?" Bea said, and Mae hummed, purring a little.

"I'm _your_ shithead, right?" Mae asked, looking up at Bea with one eye. Bea scoffed once more.

"Yeah, Mae, you're my shithead."       


End file.
